Saturday, September 10, 2011

1962

Advise and Consent (1962) B+
All Fall Down (1962) B-
An Autumn Afternoon (1962) C+
Bachelor Flat (1962) C
Barabbas (1962) B-
Billy Budd (1962) B
Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962) B-
Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) B+
Boccaccio '70 (1962) B
Boys' Night Out (1962) B-
The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962) C
Burn, Witch, Burn (1962) B-
The Cabinet of Caligari (1962) C- 
Cape Fear (1962) B+
Carnival of Souls (1962) B
The Chapman Report (1962) B-
Cleo from 5  to 7 (1962) B-
Convicts 4 (1962) C+
The Counterfeit Traitor (1962) B
Damn the Defiant! (1962) B
David and Lisa (1962) B
Days of Wine and Roses (1962) A-
The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1962) C+
Diamond Head (1962) C-
Divorce Italian Style (1962) B+
Dr. No (1962) A
Electra (1962) B-
Experiment in Terror (1962) B
The Exterminating Angel (1962) B+
Follow That Dream (1962) C
The Four Days of Naples (1962) B
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1962) B-
Freud (1962) B-
Gay Purr-ee  (1962) B-
Gigot (1962) B-
A Girl Named Tamiko (1962) C
Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) C+
Gypsy (1962) B+
Hatari! (1962)
Hell is for Heroes (1962) B-
Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man (1962) C
Hitler (1962) C
The Horizontal Lieutenant (1962) C+
The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1962) B-
The Interns (1962) C
I Thank a Fool (1962) C-
It's Only Money (1962) C+
Ivan's Childhood (1962) B+
Jack the Giant Killer (1962) B-
Jules and Jim (1962) A
Kid Galahad (1962) C
La Jetée (1962) A-
Last Year at Marienbad (1962) B
Lawrence of Arabia (1962) A
L'eclisse (1962) B+
Light in the Piazza (1962) B+
The Lion (1962) C
Lolita (1962) A-
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) B+
Lonely are the Brave (1962) B+
Long Day's Journey into Night (1962) B
The Longest Day (1962) A-
Mafioso (1962) B
Mamma Roma (1962) B-
The Manchurian Candidate (1962) A-
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) A-
The Manster (1962) C+
Merrill's Marauders (1962) B-
The Miracle Worker (1962) A-
Mothra (1962) C+
Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962) B
Murder She Said (1962) B
The Music Man (1962) A-
Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) B+
My Geisha (1962) B-
My Life to Live (1962) B+
The Notorious Landlady (1962) B-
Only Two Can Play (1962) C+
Panic in Year Zero! (1962) B-
Period of Adjustment (1962) B-
Phaedra (1962) C+
The Phantom of the Opera (1962) C
The Pigeon that Took Rome (1962) C
Premature Burial (1962) B-
Pressure Point (1962) C+
The Reluctant Saint (1962) C-
Reptilicus (1962) D
Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962) B
Ride the High Country (1962) B-
The Road to Hong Kong (1962) B-
Rome Adventure (1962) B-
Sanjuro (1962) B
Satan Never Sleeps (1962) C
The Scarface Mob (1962) C+
Sergeants 3 (1962) C+
State Fair (1962) C-
Sundays and Cybele (1962) B+
Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)
Tales of Terror (1962) B-
Taras Bulba (1962)
Tender is the Night (1962) C-
That Touch of Mink (1962) B-
The 300 Spartans (1962) C-
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) A+
Tower of London (1962) C
The Trial (1962) B-
Trial and Error (1962) B-
Two for the Seesaw (1962) B+
Two Weeks in Another Town (1962) C
Uncle Vanya (1962) B
A Very Private Affair (1962) C+
Walk on the Wild Side (1962) B-
Waltz of the Toreadors (1962) C
War Hunt (1962) B-
The War Lover (1962) C
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) A-
Who's Got the Action? (1962) C+
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962) B-

(September 2011 - April 2012 - 118 Films Seen)

Top Ten - Dr. No, Jules and Jim, La Jetée, Lawrence of Arabia, Lolita, The Longest Day, The Manchurian Candidate, The Miracle Worker, To Kill a Mockingbird, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

1961

The Absent-Minded Professor (1961) B
Ada (1961) C
All in a Night's Work (1961) C+
Angel Baby (1961) C+
Atlantis, the Lost Continent (1961) C-
Babes in Toyland (1961) C+
Bachelor in Paradise (1961) C+
Back Street (1961) C+
Ballad of a Soldier (1961) B+
The Big Show (1961) C-
Blast of Silence (1961) B-
Blue Hawaii (1961) C+
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) A-
Bridge to the Sun (1961) C
By Love Possessed (1961) C+
The Children's Hour (1961) B
Claudelle Inglish (1961) C-
The Colossus of Rhodes (1961) C-
The Comancheros (1961) B-
Come September (1961) C+
Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961) D+
The Curse of the Werewolf (1961) C-
Days of Thrills and Laughter (1961) B-
The Deadly Companions (1961) C
The Devil at 4 O'Clock (1961) C
Doctor Blood's Coffin (1961) C+
El Cid (1961) B
The Errand Boy (1961) C+
The Explosive Generation (1961) C
Fanny (1961) B
Flower Drum Song (1961) B-
Francis of Assisi (1961) C
General Della Rovere (1961) B
Go Naked in the World (1961) C
Goodbye Again (1961) B-
The Guns of Navarone (1961) A
Hey, Let's Twist (1961) D+
Homicidal (1961) B-
The Honeymoon Machine (1961) C+
The Hoodlum Priest (1961) C
The Hustler (1961) A-
The Innocents (1961) B+
Il Posto (1961) A-
Judgment at Nuremburg (1961) A
King of Kings (1961) B+
The Ladies Man (1961) C-
La Dolce Vita (1961) A-
La Notte (1961) A-
The Last Sunset (1961) C+
Loss of Innocence (1961) C-
Lover Come Back (1961) B
A Majority of One (1961) B-
The Mark (1961) B
The Mask (1961) D+
Master of the World (1961) C
Mein Kampf (1961) C+
The Millionairess (1961) C
The Misfits (1961) B
Mr. Sardonicus (1961) B-
Mysterious Island (1961) C+
The Naked Edge (1961) C
One-Eyed Jacks (1961) B-
101 Dalmatians (1961) B+
One, Two, Three (1961) B+
On the Double (1961) B-
The Outsider (1961) C
The Parent Trap (1961) B
Paris Blues (1961) B
Parrish (1961) C-
The Pit and the Pendulum (1961) B-
The Pleasure of His Company (1961) B-
Pocketful of Miracles (1961) B
A Raisin in the Sun (1961) B
Return to Peyton Place (1961) C-
Romanoff and Juliet (1961) C
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961) B-
Salvatore Giuliano (1961) C+
Sanctuary (1961) C-
Scream of Fear (1961) B
The Second Time Around (1961) C
The Sky Above, the Mud Below (1961) C
Snow White and the Three Stooges (1961) C-
Something Wild (1961) C
Splendor in the Grass (1961) B+
Summer and Smoke (1961) B
Susan Slade (1961) B-
Through a Glass Darkly (1961) B-
Too Late Blues (1961) C
Town Without Pity (1961) C
Twist Around the Clock (1961) C
Two Loves (1961) C-
Two Rode Together (1961) C+
Two Women (1961) B+
Underworld U.S.A. (1961) C+
Victim (1961) B-
Viridiana (1961) B-
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961) C+
West Side Story (1961) A
Where the Boys Are (1961) B-
Whistle Down the Wind (1961) B-
Wild in the Country (1961) C+
A Woman is a Woman (1961) B
Yojimbo (1961) A-
The Young Doctors (1961) B-
The Young Savages (1961) C+

(October 2010 - August 2011) A healthy mix of foreign and domestic films in my Top 10 is a great indication of how the year played out. More quality films came out of this year, including the awesome trifecta of The Guns of Navarone, Judgment at Nuremberg, and West Side Story, all magnificent films. La Dolce Vita, La Notte, Il Posto, Two Women, and General Della Rovere proved that Italian films had a monopoly on international cinema. Breakfast at Tiffany's showcased the lovely Audrey Hepburn in one of her greatest roles, while The Hustler featured Paul Newman in a tough, real performance. Yojimbo is both familiar territory and a departure for Akira Kurosawa and it succeeds on a level of unique entertainment. One of the most pleasant surprises of the year is The Innocents, a spooky British chiller starring Deborah Kerr. Definitely worth checking out all of these films and several others.  

Top 10 - Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Guns of Navarone, The Hustler, Il Posto, The Innocents, Judgment at Nuremberg, La Dolce Vita, La Notte, West Side Story, Yojimbo

Friday, October 30, 2009

1960

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1960) C
The Alamo (1960) C+
All the Fine Young Cannibals (1960) C-
The Angry Silence (1960) C
The Apartment (1960) A-
Atom Age Vampire (1960) C
The Bad Sleep Well (1960) C+
The Battle of Austerlitz (1960) D+
Because They’re Young (1960) C
The Bellboy (1960) C
Bells Are Ringing (1960) B
Black Sunday (1960) B-
The Bramble Bush (1960) C
Breathless (1960) A
A Breath of Scandal (1960) B-
The Brides of Dracula (1960) C+
Butterfield 8 (1960) C+
Can-Can (1960) C-
Cash McCall (1960) B-
Cimarron (1960) C+
Cinderfella (1960) C
Circus of Horrors (1960) C
Comanche Station (1960) C
Crack in the Mirror (1960) C
The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1960) B-
The Day They Robbed the Bank of England (1960) C+
The Devil’s Eye (1960) B
Elmer Gantry (1960) B+
The Entertainer (1960) C+
Esther and the King (1960) D+
Exodus (1960) C+
Eyes without a Face (1960) A-
The Facts of Life (1960) C+
The Fall of the House of Usher (1960) B-
Five Branded Women (1960) C
Flaming Star (1960) C+
From the Terrace (1960) B-
The Gallant Hours (1960) C
G.I. Blues (1960) C
The Grass is Greener (1960) B-
Heller in Pink Tights (1960) C-
Hell is a City (1960) C
High Time (1960) C+
Hiroshima, Mon Amour (1960) A
Home from the Hill (1960) C
Ice Cold in Alex (1960) C+
Ice Palace (1960) C
I’m All Right Jack (1960) C
Inherit the Wind (1960) B+
It Started in Naples (1960) C+
Kapo (1960) A-
Kidnapped (1960) C
The Last Voyage (1960) B-
L’Avventura (1960) A-
Late Autumn (1960) C+
The League of Gentlemen (1960) A-
The Leech Woman (1960) C+
Le Trou (1960) A-
Let’s Make Love (1960) C-
The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) B
The Lost World (1960) C-
Macario (1960) C+
The Magnificent Seven (1960) A-
Make Mine Mink (1960) C
Man on a String (1960) C-
The Marriage-Go-Round (1960) C-
Midnight Lace (1960) B
Murder Inc. (1960) C
Never on Sunday  (1960) A-
Night of the Ghouls (1960) D
North to Alaska (1960) C
Ocean’s 11 (1960) B-
Once More, With Feeling (1960) C+
Oscar Wilde (1960) B-
Our Man in Havana (1960) B-
Peeping Tom (1960) A-
Pepe (1960) D+
Peter Pan (TV) (1960) B+
Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (1960) C+
Pollyanna (1960) B-
Portrait in Black (1960)
Psycho (1960) A+
Purple Noon (1960) A-
The Rat Race (1960) C
The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960) C-
The Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy (1960) D
Rocco and His Brothers (1960) B-
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960) B-
School for Scoundrels (1960) C-
Sergeant Rutledge (1960) C+
Seven Thieves (1960) C
Shoot the Piano Player (1960) B
Sink the Bismarck! (1960) C+
Song Without End (1960) C
Sons and Lovers (1960) B
Spartacus (1960) A
The Steamroller and the Violin (1960) B+
Stop! Look! And Laugh! (1960) C-
Strangers When We Meet (1960) C+
The Subterraneans (1960) C
The Sundowners (1960) B
Sunrise at Campobello (1960) C+
Swiss Family Robinson (1960) B+
Tall Story (1960) C+
The 3rd Voice (1960) C-
13 Ghosts (1960) C+
The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (1960) C
The Time Machine (1960) B-
The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960) C
Tunes of Glory (1960) B-
The Unforgiven (1960) B-
Village of the Damned (1960) B-
The Virgin Spring (1960) A-
Visit to a Small Planet (1960) C
The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960) C-
Wake Me When It’s Over (1960) C-
The Wasp Woman (1960) D+
Who Was That Lady? (1960) C-
Wild River (1960) B-
The World of Suzie Wong (1960) C+

(October 2009 - October 2010) A very busy personal life made this year take an actual year to complete. This year offered a record number of titles for me and my overall perception is that everything was pretty average. Foreign films really stood out as the most impressive, while Hitchcock's Psycho is clearly the must-see classic. I did observe how films have advanced a bit in terms of daring subject matter, particularly Peeping Tom, Elmer Gantry, and Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. Similarly, major advancements in filmmaking are evident in Breathless, which ushered in the French New Wave to American audiences and helped increase the popularity of international cinema in the states.  It's clear that movies are changing along with the times and I look forward to learning more as I progress through the 1960s.

Top 10 - Breathless, Hiroshima, Mon Amour, L'Avventura, The League of Gentlemen, Le Trou, Never on Sunday, Peeping Tom, Psycho, Spartacus, The Virgin Spring

Sunday, July 19, 2009

1959

Al Capone (1959)
Alias Jesse James (1959)
The Alligator People (1959)
Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
The Angry Hills (1959)
Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959)
The Bat (1959)
The Beat Generation (1959)
Ben-Hur (1959)
The Best of Everything (1959)
The Big Fisherman (1959)
The Black Orchid (1959)
Black Orpheus (1959)
Blue Denim (1959)
A Bucket of Blood (1959)
Career (1959)
Compulsion (1959)
Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959)
The Devil’s Disciple (1959)
The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
A Doll’s House (TV) (1959)
Drunken Angel (1959)
The FBI Story (1959)
Fires on the Plain (1959)
The Five Pennies (1959)
Flame over India (1959)
Floating Weeds (1959)
The 400 Blows (1959)
The Fugitive Kind (1959)
The Gazebo (1959)
The Giant Gila Monster (1959)
Gidget (1959)
Good Morning (1959)
Green Mansions (1959)
The Hanging Tree (1959)
Hercules (1959)
A Hole in the Head (1959)
The Horse Soldiers (1959)
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)
Imitation of Life (1959)
It Happened to Jane (1959)
It Started With a Kiss (1959)
John Paul Jones (1959)
The Journey (1959)
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)
The Killer Shrews (1959)
The Last Angry Man (1959)
Last Train from Gun Hill (1959)
Le Beau Serge (1959)
Libel (1959)
Li’l Abner (1959)
The Lovers (1959)
The Magician (1959)
The Man in the Net (1959)
The Mating Game (1959)
Middle of the Night (1959)
The Mouse That Roared (1959)
The Mummy (1959)
Never So Few (1959)
No Name on the Bullet (1959)
North by Northwest (1959)
The Nun’s Story (1959)
Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
1001 Arabian Nights (1959)
On the Beach (1959)
Operation Petticoat (1959)
The Perfect Furlough (1959)
Pickpocket (1959)
Pillow Talk (1959)
Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)
Porgy and Bess (1959)
Pork Chop Hill (1959)
The Rabbit Trap (1959)
The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker (1959)
Return of the Fly (1959)
Ride Lonesome (1959)
Rio Bravo (1959)
Room at the Top (1959)
Sapphire (1959)
The Savage Innocents (1959)
Say One for Me (1959)
The Scapegoat (1959)
Season of Passion (1959)
Shadows (1959)
The Shaggy Dog (1959)
Shake Hands with the Devil (1959)
The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw (1959)
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Solomon and Sheba (1959)
Some Like it Hot (1959)
The Sound and the Fury (1959)
The Story on Page One (1959)
Stranger in My Arms (1959)
Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
A Summer Place (1959)
Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure (1959)
Teenagers from Outer Space (1959)
Tempest (1959)
Ten Seconds to Hell (1959)
Terror is a Man (1959)
That Kind of Woman (1959)
These Thousand Hills (1959)
They Came to Cordura (1959)
The 30-Foot Bride of Candy Rock (1959)
This Earth is Mine (1959)
The Tingler (1959)
A Touch of Larceny (1959)
Up Periscope (1959)
Verboten! (1959)
Warlock (1959)
Westbound (1959)
When Comedy Was King (1959)
Wild Strawberries (1959)
The World of Apu (1959)
The World, the Flesh, and the Devil (1959)
The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959)
The Young Land (1959)
The Young Philadelphians (1959)

(July 2009 - October 2009) There are at least 20 solidly entertaining movies from this year. Again, foreign films stand out with The 400 Blows, Wild Strawberries, and The Lovers represented in my top 10 list. North by Northwest and Some Like it Hot are my two favorite movies of the year and they are equally wonderful. It's hard to pick which of the two is the best. I want to make a point to mention movies like The Best of Everything, A Bucket of Blood, and The Tingler, each of which I found to be a lot of fun to watch, but not exactly masterpieces. I find it hard to believe that the 1950s have come to an end. The number of movies that I watch keeps rising with each passing year. The French New Wave is just beginning to seep into mainstream America and the Hollywood studio system is declining. All of this makes my movie-watching experience/addiction so much more entertaining. Bring on the 1960s!

Top 10 - Anatomy of a Murder, Ben-Hur, The 400 Blows, The Lovers, North by Northwest, Rio Bravo, Sleeping Beauty, Some Like it Hot, Suddenly, Last Summer, Wild Strawberries

Friday, May 8, 2009

1958

Andy Hardy Comes Home (1958)
Ashes and Diamonds (1958)
Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958)
Attack of the Puppet People (1958)
Auntie Mame (1958)
The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958)
Bell, Book, and Candle (1958)
The Big Country (1958)
Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958)
Bitter Victory (1958)
The Blob (1958)
Bonjour Tristesse (1958)
The Bonnie Parker Story (1958)
The Bravados (1958)
Brink of Life (1958)
The Brothers Karamazov (1958)
The Buccaneer (1958)
Buchanan Rides Alone (1958)
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
A Certain Smile (1958)
The Chaplin Revue (1958)
The Cool and the Crazy (1958)
Cop Hater (1958)
Cowboy (1958)
The Cranes are Flying (1958)
Cry Terror! (1958)
Damn Yankees (1958)
The Days of Wine and Roses (TV) (1958)
The Decks Ran Red (1958)
The Defiant Ones (1958)
Desire Under the Elms (1958)
Doctor's Dilemma (1958)
Dracula (1958)
Dunkirk (1958)
Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
Fiend Without a Face (1958)
The Fly (1958)
Frankenstein – 1970 (1958)
From the Earth to the Moon (1958)
The Geisha Boy (1958)
Gigi (1958)
The Goddess (1958)
God's Little Acre (1958)
Go, Johnny, Go! (1958)
The Hidden Fortress (1958)
High School Confidential (1958)
The Horse's Mouth (1958)
Hot Spell (1958)
Houseboat (1958)
House on Haunted Hill (1958)
I Accuse! (1958)
I Bury the Living (1958)
I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958)
Indiscreet (1958)
In Love and War (1958)
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958)
It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958)
I Want to Live! (1958)
Jalshagar (Music Room) (1958)
The Key (1958)
King Creole (1958)
Kings Go Forth (1958)
The Last Hurrah (1958)
The Left-Handed Gun (1958)
Lonelyhearts (1958)
The Long Hot Summer (1958)
Look Back in Anger (1958)
Man of the West (1958)
Mardi Gras (1958)
Marjorie Morningstar (1958)
The Matchmaker (1958)
Merry Andrew (1958)
Mon Oncle (1958)
Monster on the Campus (1958)
The Naked and the Dead (1958)
Night of the Demon (1958)
A Night to Remember (1958)
No Time for Sergeants (1958)
Nowhere to Go (1958)
The Old Man and the Sea (1958)
The Proud Rebel (1958)
Queen of Outer Space (1958)
The Quiet American (1958)
The Reluctant Debutante (1958)
The Restless Years (1958)
Rock-A-Bye Baby (1958)
Run Silent Run Deep (1958)
Saddle the Wind (1958)
Separate Tables (1958)
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
The Sheepman (1958)
Some Came Running (1958)
South Pacific (1958)
The Tarnished Angels (1958)
Teacher's Pet (1958)
Ten North Frederick (1958)
This Happy Feeling (1958)
Thunder Road (1958)
A Time to Love and a Time to Die (1958)
Tom Thumb (1958)
Torpedo Run (1958)
Touch of Evil (1958)
The Tunnel of Love (1958)
The Two-Headed Spy (1958)
Vertigo (1958)
The Vikings (1958)
White Wilderness (1958)
The Young Lions (1958)

(May 2009 - July 2009) - As I progress with my adventure, I become more and more fascinated by foreign films. Often, films of France, Italy, and Japan completely overshadow the majority of the American films that I watch. It's evident that I'm entering and era when foreign films and foreign directors began to gain popularity in America. My favorite American movies of 1958 are incredible examples of two genius filmmakers at the tops of their respective games. Hitchcock's Vertigo and Welles' Touch of Evil are hard to beat when you look at the rest of the releases this year. I'm not positive which I liked better. I shouldn't discount the rest of the year's offerings. Admittedly, it was hard to develop a top ten list, with so many fun movies to choose from.

Top Ten - Ashes and Diamonds, Big Deal on Madonna Street, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Cranes are Flying, The Defiant Ones, The Hidden Fortress, Mon Oncle, A Night to Remember, Touch of Evil, Vertigo

Monday, March 9, 2009

1957

Abandon Ship (1957)
The Abominable Snowman (1957)
Across the Bridge (1957)
An Affair to Remember (1957)
All Mine to Give (1957)
And God Created Woman (1957)
Aparajito (1957)
April Love (1957)
The Bachelor Party (1957)
The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1957)
Beau James (1957)
Boy on a Dolphin (1957)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
China Gate (1957)
The Colditz Story (1957)
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
The Deadly Mantis (1957)
The Delicate Delinquent (1957)
Designing Woman (1957)
Desk Set (1957)
Edge of the City (1957)
The Enemy Below (1957)
A Face in the Crowd (1957)
A Farewell to Arms (1957)
Fear Strikes Out (1957)
Funny Face (1957)
The Girl Most Likely (1957)
The Golden Age of Comedy (1957)
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)
A Hatful of Rain (1957)
Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
The Helen Morgan Story (1957)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1957)
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)
Invitation to the Dance (1957)
Island in the Sun (1957)
I Was a Teenage Frankenstein (1957)
I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957)
Jailhouse Rock (1957)
Jamboree! (1957)
The James Dean Story (1957)
Jeanne Eagels (1957)
Jet Pilot (1957)
Johnny Tremain (1957)
The Joker is Wild (1957)
Kill Her Gently (1957)
A King in New York (1957)
Kiss Them for Me (1957)
Kronos (1957)
The Land Unknown (1957)
Legend of the Lost (1957)
Le Notti Bianche (White Nights) (1957)
Les Girls (1957)
Lizzie (1957)
The Lonely Man (1957)
Love in the Afternoon (1957)
Loving You (1957)
The Lower Depths (1957)
A Man Escaped (1957)
Man of a Thousand Faces (1957)
Man on Fire (1957)
The Man Who Turned to Stone (1957)
The Mark of the Hawk (1957)
The Midnight Story (1957)
The Monolith Monsters (1957)
Mother India (1957)
Mr. Rock and Roll (1957)
My Man Godfrey (1957)
Night Ambush (1957)
Night Passage (1957)
Nights of Cabiria (1957)
No Down Payment (1957)
Oedipus Rex (1957)
Old Yeller (1957)
Omar Khayyam (1957)
The Pajama Game (1957)
Pal Joey (1957)
Paths of Glory (1957)
Peyton Place (1957)
Plunder Road (1957)
Portland Expose (1957)
The Pride and the Passion (1957)
The Prince and the Showgirl (1957)
Pursuit of the Graf Spree (1957)
Raintree County (1957)
Reform School Girl (1957)
The Revenge of Frankenstein (1957)
The Rising of the Moon (1957)
The River's Edge (1957)
Rodan (1957)
Run of the Arrow (1957)
Saint Joan (1957)
Sayonara (1957)
The Seventh Seal (1957)
The She-Creature (1957)
Silk Stockings (1957)
Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (1957)
The Smallest Show on Earth (1957)
Something of Value (1957)
Sorority Girl (1957)
The Spirit of St. Louis (1957)
The Story of Mankind (1957)
The Strange One (1957)
The Sun Also Rises (1957)
Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
The Tall T (1957)
Tammy and the Bachelor (1957)
Teenage Monster (1957)
The Three Faces of Eve (1957)
3:10 to Yuma (1957)
Throne of Blood (1957)
Time Limit (1957)
The Tin Star (1957)
Tip on a Dead Jockey (1957)
12 Angry Men (1957)
20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)
The Undead (1957)
Until They Sail (1957)
The Vampire (1957)
Wild is the Wind (1957)
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957)
The Wings of Eagles (1957)
Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
The Wrong Man (1957)
The Young Stranger (1957)
Your Past is Showing (1957)
Zero Hour! (1957)

(February 2009 - May 2009) - Another very good year with foreign films really soaring. Ray's Aparajto, the second film in the Apu Trilogy is incredibly emotional. Kurosawa's Throne of Blood, a samurai version of Macbeth, is stunning to watch. Bergman's The Seventh Seal is a masterpiece of film that commands your viewing. American films were just as impressive with Witness for the Prosecution and 12 Angry Men competing for my favorite film of the year. I'd give the edge to 12 Angry Men for its dramatic excellence and social importance.

Top 10 -- Aparajito, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Nights of Cabiria, Paths of Glory, Peyton Place, The Seventh Seal, Throne of Blood, 12 Angry Men, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, Witness for the Prosecution

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

1956

Alexander the Great (1956)
The Ambassador's Daughter (1956)
Anastasia (1956)
Anything Goes (1956)
Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
Attack (1956)
Autumn Leaves (1956)
Baby Doll (1956)
The Bad Seed (1956)
Bandido (1956)
Bang the Drum Slowly (TV)(1956)
The Best Things in Life are Free (1956)
Between Heaven and Hell (1956)
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956)
Bhowani Junction (1956)
Bigger Than Life (1956)
The Boss (1956)
The Brave One (1956)
Bundle of Joy (1956)
Bus Stop (1956)
Carousel (1956)
The Catered Affair (1956)
The Conqueror (1956)
The Court Jester (1956)
The Creature Walks Among Us (1956)
The Creeping Unknown (1956)
Dance with Me, Henry (1956)
D-Day, the Sizth of June (1956)
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)
The Eddy Duchin Story (1956)
The Fastest Gun Alive (1956)
Forbidden Planet (1956)
Friendly Persuasion (1956)
Giant (1956)
The Girl Can't Help It (1956)
Godzilla – King of the Monsters (1956)
The Great Locomotive Chase (1956)
The Harder They Fall (1956)
High Society (1956)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
It Conquered the World (1956)
Jubal (1956)
Julie (1956)
The Killer is Loose (1956)
The Killing (1956)
The King and I (1956)
A Kiss Before Dying (1956)
The Ladykillers (1956)
La Strada (1956)
Love Me Tender (1956)
Lust for Life (1956)
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
Man in the Vault (1956)
The Man Who Never Was (1956)
Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956)
Moby Dick (1956)
The Mole People (1956)
The Mountain (1956)
The Mystery of Picasso (1956)
Nightfall (1956)
The Opposite Sex (1956)
Our Miss Brooks (1956)
Patterns (1956)
The Power and the Prize (1956)
The Proud and the Profane (1956)
The Rack (1956)
The Rainmaker (1956)
Ransom! (1956)
Requiem for a Heavyweight (TV)(1956)
The Red Balloon (1956)
Richard III (1956)
Rock Around the Clock (1956)
Rock, Rock, Rock! (1956)
Run for the Sun (1956)
The Searchers (1956)
Seven Men from Now (1956)
Seven Samurai (1956)
Shake, Rattle, and Rock (1956)
The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956)
Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)
Stagecoach to Fury (1956)
The Swan (1956)
Tea and Sympathy (1956)
The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956)
Teenage Rebel (1956)
The Ten Commandments (1956)
These Wilder Years (1956)
Three Violent People (1956)
Time Without Pity (1956)
Trapeze (1956)
Umberto D. (1956)
War and Peace (1956)
While the City Sleeps (1956)
Written on the Wind (1956)
X the Unknown (1956)

(November 2008 - February 2009) - This year offered a lot of solid entertainment with the release of some pretty epic films. The sheer fun of Around the World in 80 Days makes it hard to dislike. Giant is a marvelously large-scale classic with James Dean's final performance at its center. Perhaps the biggest of all is The Ten Commandments with its awesome special effects. Smaller films also made quite an impact with Umberto D. being an excellent, moving Italian gem. The best of the year is the equally small heist thriller The Killing. It's very rare for me to want to rewatch a movie so quickly after seeing it and this early Stanley Kubrick film really made me consider doing so.

Top 10 - Around the World in 80 Days, The Court Jester, Friendly Persuasion, Giant, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Killing, The Searchers, Seven Samurai, The Ten Commandments, Umberto D.

Also Seen - The Iron Petticoat (1956) C+Night and Fog (1956) A-

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

1955

Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops (1955) (C-)
Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955) (B-)
All That Heaven Allows (1955) (B-)
Animal Farm (1955)
Artists and Models (1955)
Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) (B-)
Battle Cry (1955)
The Belles of St. Trinians (1955)
The Benny Goodman Story (1955)
The Big Combo (1955) (B)
The Big Knife (1955) (C+)
Blackboard Jungle (1955) (A-)
Blood Alley (1955)
Bride of the Monster (1955) (D-)
The Bridges of Toko-Ri (1955) (C)
Captain Lightfoot (1955)
Cast a Dark Shadow (1955) (B)
The Cobweb (1955) (C)
Conquest of Space (1955) (C-)
The Constant Husband (1955)
Court Martial (1955)
The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955) (C)
Cult of the Cobra (1955) (C+)
Daddy Long Legs (1955) (C)
The Dam Busters (1955)
Davy Crockett – King of the Wild Frontier (1955)
The Desperate Hours (1955) (C+)
Diabolique (1955) (A)
Dreams (1955) (C+)
East of Eden (1955) (A-)
The End of the Affair (1955) (C)
Escapade (1955)
The Far Country (1955)
The Far Horizons (1955)
Female on the Beach (1955)
5 Against the House (1955)
Footsteps in the Fog (1955)
Foxfire (1955)
The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing (1955) (C)
Guys and Dolls (1955) (B-)
Helen of Troy (1955) (C-)
Hit the Deck (1955)
House of Bamboo (1955) (C-)
I Am a Camera (1955) (B-)
I Died a Thousand Times (1955)
I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955) (B)
Illegal (1955) (B-)
Interrupted Melody (1955) (C+)
It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955) (C+)
It's Always Fair Weather (1955)
Jupiter's Darling (1955)
A Kid for Two Farthings (1955)
Killer's Kiss (1955) (C+)
The King's Thief (1955)
Kismet (1955)
Kiss Me Deadly (1955) (B-)
Lady and the Tramp (1955) (B+)
Land of the Pharaohs (1955) (C-)
The Last Command (1955)
The Last Frontier (1955) (C)
The Left Hand of God (1955) (B-)
The Long Gray Line (1955)
Love is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955) (C+)
Love Me or Leave Me (1955) (C+)
Lucy Gallant (1955)
A Man Called Peter (1955) (C+)
The Man from Laramie (1955) (C+)
Man Without a Star (1955) (C+)
The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) (B-)
Marty (1955) (A-)
Mister Roberts (1955) (B)
Mr. Arkadin (1955) (B)
Mr. Hulot's Holiday (1955)
My Sister Eileen (1955) (B-)
The Night of the Hunter (1955) (B+)
Not as a Stranger (1955)
Oklahoma! (1955) (B+)
One Desire (1955)
Ordet (1955) (B+)
Pather Panchali (1955) (B-)
Pete Kelly's Blues (1955) (C)
The Phenix City Story (1955)
The Pickwick Papers (1955)
Picnic (1955) (A-)
Prince of Players (1955)
The Private War of Major Benson (1955) (C)
The Purple Plain (1955)
Queen Bee (1955) (C+)
Quentin Durward (1955)
The Rains of Ranchipur (1955) (C)
Rebel Without a Cause (1955) (A+)
Revenge of the Creature (1955) (C+)
Rififi (1955) (B)
The Rose Tattoo (1955) (B-)
The Sea Chase (1955)
Seven Angry Men (1955)
The Seven Little Foys (1955) (B-)
The Seven Year Itch (1955) (C)
Shack Out on 101 (1955) (B-)
Simba (1955)
Smiles of a Summer Night (1955) (B)
Soldier of Fortune (1955)
Strategic Air Command (1955) (C)
Summertime (1955) (B+)
Swamp Women (1955) (D)
The Tall Men (1955) (C-)
Tarantula (1955) (C+)
Teen-Age Crime Wave (1955)
The Tender Trap (1955) (C+)
This Island Earth (1955) (C)
Tight Spot (1955) (B-)
To Catch a Thief (1955) (B)
To Hell and Back (1955) (C)
Trial (1955) (B-)
The Trouble with Harry (1955) (B)
Ugetsu (1955) (B-)
Ulysses (1955)
Unchained (1955)
The Violent Men (1955) (C-)
Violent Saturday (1955) (C+)
The Virgin Queen (1955) (C)
We're No Angels (1955) (B-)
Women's Prison (1955) (C)

(August - November 2008) A highly entertaining year for movies, highlighted by James Dean's one-two punch of East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause, my personal favorite movie of the year. His short career was unspeakably impressive and his legend is inarguably deserved. Marty is an excellent choice for Best Picture and Blackboard Jungle is an underrated classic. Picnic is a special movie that really put a smile on my face. The powerhouse of the year is Diabolique, the French thriller. All of these movies are must-sees, but there are so many other good ones!

Top Ten - Blackboard Jungle, Diabolique, East of Eden, Marty, The Night of the Hunter, Oklahoma!, Pather Panchali, Picnic, Rebel Without a Cause, Summertime

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

1954

About Mrs. Leslie (1954)
Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1954)
The Barefoot Contessa (1954)
Beat the Devil (1954)
Beau Brummell (1954)
The Black Shield of Falworth (1954)
Black Widow (1954)
The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters (1954)
Bread, Love, and Dreams (1954)
Brigadoon (1954)
Broken Lance (1954)
The Caine Mutiny (1954)
Carmen Jones (1954)
Casanova's Big Night (1954)
Casino Royale (TV) (1954)
Cattle Queen of Montana (1954)
The Country Girl (1954)
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
Crime Wave (1954)
Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954)
Desiree (1954)
Dial M for Murder (1954)
Dragnet (1954)
The Egyptian (1954)
Elephant Walk (1954)
Executive Suite (1954)
Forbidden Games (1954)
Forever Female (1954)
Garden of Evil (1954)
Gate of Hell (1954)
Genevieve (1954)
The Glenn Miller Story (1954)
The Gold of Naples (1954)
Go, Man, Go (1954)
Gorilla at Large (1954)
Hell and High Water (1954)
The High and the Mighty (1954)
Hobson's Choice (1954)
Indiscretion of an American Wife (1954)
It Should Happen to You (1954)
Johnny Guitar (1954)
Knock on Wood (1954)
The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954)
Living It Up (1954)
The Long, Long Trailer (1954)
Lucky Me (1954)
The Mad Magician (1954)
Magnificent Obsession (1954)
The Naked Jungle (1954)
New Faces (1954)
Night People (1954)
On the Waterfront (1954)
Phantom of the Rue Morgue (1954)
Phffft (1954)
Prince Valiant (1954)
The Raid (1954)
Rear Window (1954)
Red Garters (1954)
Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954)
Ring of Fear (1954)
River of No Return (1954)
Rogue Cop (1954)
Rose Marie (1954)
Sabrina (1954)
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)
The Silver Chalice (1954)
The Sleeping Tiger (1954)
A Star is Born (1954)
The Stranger's Hand (1954)
The Student Prince (1954)
Suddenly (1954)
Susan Slept Here (1954)
Them! (1954)
There's No Business Like Show Business (1954)
Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
Three Hours to Kill (1954)
Top Banana (1954)
Track of the Cat (1954)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
The Vanishing Prairie (1954)
Vera Cruz (1954)
Victory at Sea (1954)
White Christmas (1954)
The Wild One (1954)
Witness to Murder (1954)
Woman's World (1954)

(July - August 2008) Lots of great movies this year. Rear Window is one of my favorite movies and it just keeps getting better. On the Waterfront, The Caine Mutiny, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Sabrina round out my top 5. I'd also recommend Creature from the Black Lagoon - fun monster movie, Beat the Devil - absurdly hysterical, Executive Suite - great cast, and Carmen Jones - love the music.

Top Ten -- Beat the Devil. The Caine Mutiny, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Executive Suite, Forbidden Games, On the Waterfront, Rear Window, Sabrina, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, A Star is Born

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

1953

Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953)
Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953)
Above and Beyond (1953)
The Actress (1953)
The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953)
All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953)
Appointment in London (1953)
Appointment in Samarra (TV)(1953)
Arena (1953)
The Bandwagon (1953)
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (1953)
The Bigamist (1953)
The Big Heat (1953)
Blowing Wild (1953)
The Blue Gardenia (1953)
By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953)
The Caddy (1953)
Calamity Jane (1953)
Call Me Madam (1953)
The Captain's Paradise (1953)
Cat-Women of the Moon (1953)
City That Never Sleeps (1953)
The Conquest of Everest (1953)
The Cruel Sea (1953)
Dangerous When Wet (1953)
The Desert Rats (1953)
Donovan's Brain (1953)
Dream Wife (1953)
Easy to Love (1953)
The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953)
From Here to Eternity (1953)
Gentleman Prefer Blondes (1953)
Glen or Glenda? (1953)
His Majesty O'Keefe (1953)
The Hitch-Hiker (1953)
Hondo (1953)
Houdini (1953)
House of Wax (1953)
How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
I Confess (1953)
Innocents in Paris (1953)
Invaders from Mars (1953)
Island in the Sky (1953)
It Came from Outer Space (1953)
It Happens Every Thursday (1953)
I, the Jury (1953)
I Vitelloni (1953)
Jennifer (1953)
Jeopardy (1953)
The Joe Louis Story (1953)
Julius Caesar (1953)
Kiss Me, Kate (1953)
Knights of the Round Table (1953)
Let's Do It Again (1953)
Lili (1953)
Little Fugitive (1953)
The Living Desert (1953)
The Love Lottery (1953)
The Man Between (1953)
The Man from the Alamo (1953)
Man on a Tightrope (1953)
Martin Luther (1953)
Marty (TV)(1953)
The Mississippi Gambler (1953)
Miss Sadie Thompson (1953)
Mogambo (1953)
The Moon is Blue (1953)
The Naked Spur (1953)
Niagara (1953)
99 River Street (1953)
Peter Pan (1953)
Pickup on South Street (1953)
Plunder in the Sun (1953)
Pony Express (1953)
The President's Lady (1953)
A Queen is Crowned (1953)
The Robe (1953)
Robot Monster (1953)
Roman Holiday (1953)
Sailor of the King (1953)
Salome (1953)
Salt of the Earth (1953)
Sawdust and Tinsel (1953)
Scared Stiff (1953)
Second Chance (1953)
Shane (1953)
A Slight Case of Larceny (1953)
Small Town Girl (1953)
So Big (1953)
South Sea Woman (1953)
Split Second (1953)
Stalag 17 (1953)
The Story of Three Loves (1953)
Summer with Monika (1953)
The Sun Shines Bright (1953)
The Sword and the Rose (1953)
Take the High Ground! (1953)
Thunder Bay (1953)
Titanic (1953)
The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953)
Tokyo Story (1953)
Torch Song (1953)
Vice Squad (1953)
Vicki (1953)
The War of the Worlds (1953)
Young Bess (1953)

(April - July 2008) The Cinemascope process began this year and soon just about every movie was shot in some form of letterboxing. 3-D continued to be very popular. TV movies began to gain popularity. Foreign films from France, Italy, Japan, and Sweden also had a surge of popularity in America. An impressive list of films. Some absolutely wonderful and some truly terrible. Glen of Glenda? was probably my least favorite movie-watching experience on this adventure. Just a terribly awful excuse for a movie. All was forgiven with the likes of From Here to Eternity, Julius Caesar, How to Marry a Millionaire, and Lili. The best film of the year was definitely Fellini's I Vitelloni! What a great movie!

Top Ten -- From Here to Eternity, House of Wax, How to Marry a Millionaire, I Vitelloni, Julius Caesar, Lili, Peter Pan, Roman Holiday, Shane, Stalag 17

Also Seen - The Earrings of Madame de... (1953)

Monday, October 6, 2008

1952

Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick (1952)
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952)
Affair in Trinidad (1952)
Against All Flags (1952)
April in Paris (1952)
The Atomic City (1952)
At Sword's Point (1952)
The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
Because You're Mine (1952)
Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952)
The Belle of New York (1952)
Bend of the River (1952)
Big Jim McLain (1952)
The Big Sky (1952)
The Big Trees (1952)
Blackbeard, The Pirate (1952)
The Black Castle (1952)
Bloodhounds of Broadway (1952)
Bugles in the Afternoon (1952)
Bwana Devil (1952)
Carrie (1952)
Clash By Night (1952)
Come Back, Little Sheba (1952)
The Crimson Pirate (1952)
Deadline – U.S.A. (1952)
Don't Bother to Knock (1952)
Europa '51 (1952)
5 Fingers (1952)
Flat Top (1952)
A Girl in Every Port (1952)
The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
Hans Christian Andersen (1952)
Has Anybody Seen My Gal? (1952)
Here Come the Nelsons (1952)
High Noon (1952)
Ikiru (1952)
The Importance of Being Earnest (1952)
Invasion USA (1952)
Ivanhoe (1952)
Jack and the Beanstalk (1952)
The Jazz Singer (1952)
Just For You (1952)
Kansas City Confidential (1952)
The Las Vegas Story (1952)
The Lavender Hill Mob (1952)
Les Miserables (1952)
Limelight (1952)
Lost in Alaska (1952)
Lovely to Look At (1952)
The Lusty Men (1952)
Macao (1952)
The Man in the White Suit (1952)
The Medium (1952)
The Member of the Wedding (1952)
The Merry Widow (1952)
Million Dollar Mermaid (1952)
The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima (1952)
Monkey Business (1952)
Moulin Rouge (1952)
My Cousin Rachel (1952)
The Narrow Margin (1952)
O. Henry's Full House (1952)
On Dangerous Ground (1952)
Othello (1952)
Pat and Mike (1952)
Plymouth Adventure (1952)
The Pride of St. Louis (1952)
The Prisoner of Zenda (1952)
The Promoter (1952)
The Quiet Man (1952)
Rancho Notorious (1952)
Rashomon (1952)
The Ring (1952)
Road to Bali (1952)
The Rose Bowl Story (1952)
Scaramouche (1952)
The Sea Around Us (1952)
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
The Sniper (1952)
The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952)
Son of Paleface (1952)
Springfield Rifle (1952)
The Star (1952)
The Stooge (1952)
The Story of Robin Hood (1952)
Sudden Fear (1952)
The Thief (1952)
Viva Zapata! (1952)
Wages of Fear (1952)
With a Song in My Heart (1952)

(January - April 2008) High Noon is a perfect movie and is my favorite of the year. I'm not really a John Wayne fan, but I really loved The Quiet Man! Singin' in the Rain is unforgettable. The Greatest Show on Earth is highly entertaining. Kansas City Confidential is a good example of a film noir thriller. The Lavender Hill Mob is a fun British comedy. A pretty good year overall. 3-D first appeared this year to combat the growing popularity of television.

Top Ten -- Come Back, Little Sheba, The Greatest Show on Earth, High Noon, Kansas City Confidential, The Lavender Hill Mob, Limelight, The Narrow Margin, The Quiet Man, Rashomon, Singin' in the Rain

Sunday, October 5, 2008

1951

Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951)
Ace in the Hole (The Big Carnival) (1951)
The African Queen (1951)
Alice in Wonderland (1951)
An American in Paris (1951)
Angels in the Outfield (1951)
Appointment with Danger (1951)
Bedtime for Bonzo (1951)
Behave Yourself! (1951)
The Blue Veil (1951)
Bride of the Gorilla (1951)
Bright Victory (1951)
The Browning Version (1951)
Bullfighter and the Lady (1951)
Call Me Mister (1951)
Captain Horation Hornblower (1951)
Cause for Alarm! (1951)
A Christmas Carol (1951)
Come Fill the Cup (1951)
Comin' Round the Mountain (1951)
Cry Danger (1951)
Cry, the Beloved Country (1951)
David and Bathsheba (1951)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
Death of a Salesman (1951)
Decision Before Dawn (1951)
The Desert Fox (1951)
Detective Story (1951)
Distant Drums (1951)
The Enforcer (1951)
Father's Little Dividend (1951)
Fixed Bayonets (1951)
Flying Leathernecks (1951)
Fourteen Hours (1951)
The Frogmen (1951)
Go for Broke! (1951)
Golden Girl (1951)
The Great Caruso (1951)
He Ran All the Way (1951)
Here Comes the Groom (1951)
His Kind of Woman (1951)
Hollywood Story (1951)
The House on Telegraph Hill (1951)
I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1951)
I Want You (1951)
I Was a Communist for the FBI (1951)
Jim Thorpe – All American (1951)
Kind Lady (1951)
Kon-Tiki (1951)
The Lemon Drop Kid (1951)
Lost Continent (1951)
The Magic Box (1951)
The Man from Planet X (1951)
The Mating Season (1951)
The Mob (1951)
The Model and the Marriage-Broker (1951)
The Mudlark (1951)
My Favorite Spy (1951)
No Highway in the Sky (1951)
Only the Valiant (1951)
On the Riviera (1951)
Operation Pacific (1951)
Payment on Demand (1951)
People Will Talk (1951)
A Place in the Sun (1951)
Quo Vadis (1951)
The Racket (1951)
The Red Badge of Courage (1951)
Rich, Young, and Pretty (1951)
The River (1951)
Roadblock (1951)
Royal Wedding (1951)
Sailor Beware (1951)
Seven Days to Noon (1951)
Show Boat (1951)
Sirocco (1951)
Starlift (1951)
The Strange Door (1951)
Strangers on a Train (1951)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
The Strip (1951)
Superman and the Mole Men (1951)
The Tales of Hoffman (1951)
The Tall Target (1951)
Teresa (1951)
The Thing From Another World (1951)
Too Young to Kiss (1951)
Two Tickets to Broadway (1951)
Vengeance Valley (1951)
The Well (1951)
Westward the Women (1951)
When Worlds Collide (1951)
The White Sheik (1951)

(August 2007 - January 2008) Alice in Wonderland has got to be my favorite film of the year. It's probably my favorite Disney film as well. It's just so unusual and fascinating. A Place in the Sun is also terrific. I enjoyed the incredible performances in A Streetcar Named Desire. The Thing from Another World is a great monster movie. Showboat is great thanks to Ava Gardner. I also really enjoyed The White Sheik, which is my first foray into the films of Fellini. I'm already a fan!

Top Ten -- The African Queen, Alice in Wonderland, An American in Paris, Detective Story, A Place in the Sun, Show Boat, Strangers on a Train, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Thing from Another World, The White Sheik

Saturday, October 4, 2008

1950

Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion (1950)
Adam’s Rib (1950)
All About Eve (1950)
Annie Get Your Gun (1950)
Armored Car Robbery (1950)
The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
Bitter Rice (1950)
The Black Rose (1950)
Borderline (1950)
Born Yesterday (1950)
The Breaking Point (1950)
Broken Arrow (1950)
Caged (1950)
Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950)
Chain Lightning (1950)
Cheaper by the Dozen (1950)
Cinderella (1950)
Colt .45 (1950)
Crisis (1950)
Cyrano de Bergerac (1950)
The Damned Don’t Cry (1950)
Destination Moon (1950)
D.O.A. (1950)
Fancy Pants (1950)
Father of the Bride (1950)
The Flame and the Arrow (1950)
For Heaven’s Sake (1950)
Francis (1950)
The Furies (1950)
The Glass Menagerie (1950)
The Gunfighter (1950)
Harvey (1950)
Hunt the Man Down (1950)
I’ll Get By (1950)
In a Lonely Place (1950)
The Jackie Robinson Story (1950)
Kim (1950)
King Solomon’s Mines (1950)
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950)
La Ronde (1950)
Last Holiday (1950)
Los Olvidados (1950)
Louisa (1950)
The Magnificent Yankee (1950)
The Men (1950)
The Miniver Story (1950)
Mister 880 (1950)
My Friend Irma Goes West (1950)
Mystery Street (1950)
Night and the City (1950)
No Sad Songs for Me (1950)
No Way Out (1950)
Our Very Own (1950)
Panic in the Streets (1950)
Rio Grande (1950)
Samson and Delilah (1950)
The Secret Fury (1950)
Shadow on the Wall (1950)
Singing Guns (1950)
The Sleeping City (1950)
Stage Fright (1950)
Storm Warning (1950)
Stromboli (1950)
Summer Stock (1950)
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Tea for Two (1950)
That Forsyte Woman (1950)
The Third Man (1950)
Three Came Home (1950)
Three Little Words (1950)
The Toast of New Orleans (1950)
Treasure Island (1950)
Two Weeks with Love (1950)
Wabash Avenue (1950)
The West Point Story (1950)
When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950)
Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
Winchester ’73 (1950)
The Yellow Cab Man (1950)
Young Man with a Horn (1950)

(May - August 2007) The 1950s kicks off with a lot of OK movies. The classics of the year are definitely All About Eve, The Third Man, and Sunset Boulevard. When you compare these films with the others, you can really see how advanced they were for their time. I was particularly impressed with Caged, as well. Father of the Bride is fun. Spencer Tracy makes the movie. Stage Fright is notable Hitchcock. It's not one of his more famous films, but certainly a memorable one.

Top Ten -- All About Eve, Annie Get Your Gun, Caged, Cinderella, Father of the Bride, The Gunfighter, Stage Fright, Storm Warning, Sunset Boulevard, The Third Man

Friday, October 3, 2008

1949

Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer (1949)
Adventures of Don Juan (1949)
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
Africa Screams (1949)
All the King’s Men (1949)
The Barkleys of Broadway (1949)
Battleground (1949)
Beyond the Forest (1949)
The Bicycle Thief (1949)
The Big Sombrero (1949)
The Big Steal (1949)
Border Incident (1949)
The Bribe (1949)
Champion (1949)
Come to the Stable (1949)
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1949)
Criss Cross (1949)
Edward, My Son (1949)
The Fallen Idol (1949)
Flamingo Road (1949)
The Fountainhead (1949)
The Golden Stallion (1949)
Good Sam (1949)
The Great Gatsby (1949)
Gun Crazy (1949)
The Hasty Heart (1949)
The Heiress (1949)
House of Strangers (1949)
In the Good Old Summertime (1949)
It Happens Every Spring (1949)
It’s a Great Feeling (1949)
I Was a Male War Bride (1949)
Jolson Sings Again (1949)
Killer Bait (1949)
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
A Letter to Three Wives (1949)
Little Women (1949)
Look for the Silver Lining (1949)
Love Happy (1949)
Ma and Pa Kettle (1949)
Madame Bovary (1949)
The Man on the Eiffel Tower (1949)
Mighty Joe Young (1949)
Mother is a Freshman (1949)
My Foolish Heart (1949)
My Friend Irma (1949)
Neptune’s Daughter (1949)
Once More, My Darling (1949)
On the Town (1949)
Paisan (1949)
Passport to Pimlico (1949)
Pinky (1949)
Prince of Foxes (1949)
The Red Danube (1949)
Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)
Saraband (1949)
The Secret Garden (1949)
The Set-Up (1949)
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)
Side Street (1949)
So Dear to My Heart (1949)
Sorrowful Jones (1949)
The Story of Seabiscuit (1949)
The Stratton Story (1949)
Stray Dog (1949)
Susanna Pass (1949)
Take Me Out to the Ballgame (1949)
Task Force (1949)
Tension (1949)
They Live by Night (1949)
Thieves’ Highway (1949)
Tokyo Joe (1949)
Trapped (1949)
Tulsa (1949)
Twelve O’ Clock High (1949)
Under Capricorn (1949)
Whirlpool (1949)
White Heat (1949)
The Window (1949)
Yes, Sir, That’s My Baby (1949)

(January - May 2007) Kurosawa's Stray Dog is awesome. Thinking about it now, it's prob the best of the year. I really liked Gun Crazy! Having known little about it and then watching it I was quite pleased. All the King's Men, The Heiress, and A Letter to Three Wives were all Best Pic nominees and are all worthy. The Bicycle Thief is great too. A good way to end the '40s.

Also Seen - Intruder in the Dust (1949)

Top Ten -- All the Kings Men, Battleground, The Bicycle Thief, The Fallen Idol, Gun Crazy, The Heiress, A Letter to Three Wives, On the Town, Stray Dog, White Heat

Thursday, October 2, 2008

1948

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
The Accused (1948)
Act of Violence (1948)
All My Sons (1948)
Berlin Express (1948)
B.F.’s Daughter (1948)
The Big Clock (1948)
The Boy with Green Hair (1948)
Call Northside 777 (1948)
Command Decision (1948)
Deep Waters (1948)
Easter Parade (1948)
The Emperor Waltz (1948)
Force of Evil (1948)
A Foreign Affair (1948)
Fort Apache (1948)
Green Grass of Wyoming (1948)
Hamlet (1948)
He Walked by Night (1948)
I Remember Mama (1948)
Joan of Arc (1948)
Johnny Belinda (1948)
Julia Misbehaves (1948)
June Bride (1948)
Key Largo (1948)
The Lady from Shanghai (1948)
Louisiana Story (1948)
The Loves of Carmen (1948)
The Luck of the Irish (1948)
Macbeth (1948)
Melody Time (1948)
Mexican Hayride (1948)
The Miracle of the Bells (1948)
Monsieur Vincent (1948)
Moonrise (1948)
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)
Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948)
The Naked City (1948)
The Noose Hangs High (1948)
Oliver Twist (1948)
One Touch of Venus (1948)
The Paleface (1948)
The Pirate (1948)
Portrait of Jennie (1948)
Raw Deal (1948)
Red River (1948)
The Red Shoes (1948)
Romance on the High Seas (1948)
Rope (1948)
The Search (1948)
Sitting Pretty (1948)
The Snake Pit (1948)
A Song is Born (1948)
Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
State of the Union (1948)
The Street with No Name (1948)
That Lady in Ermine (1948)
3 Godfathers (1948)
The Three Musketeers (1948)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
Unfaithfully Yours (1948)
When My Baby Smiles at Me (1948)
Words and Music (1948)

(July 2006 - January 2007) Rope is easily the best movie of all of these. Hitchcock is a genius. It's mostly done in one long take. Check it out. I also enjoyed Olivier's Hamlet because he's also a genius. Otherwise, I fondly remember some others but Rope and Hamlet far outweigh their competition.

Also Seen - The Woman in White (1948)

Top Ten -- Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Hamlet, I Remember Mama, Johnny Belinda, Key Largo, Red River, The Red Shoes, Rope, 3 Godfathers, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

1947

Angel and the Badman (1947)
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947)
The Bishop’s Wife (1947)
Black Narcissus (1947)
Body and Soul (1947)
Boomerang! (1947)
Born to Kill (1947)
Brute Force (1947)
Buck Privates Come Home (1947)
Captain from Castile (1947)
Cass Timberlane (1947)
Crossfire (1947)
Dark Passage (1947)
Dead Reckoning (1947)
Dear Ruth (1947)
A Double Life (1947)
The Egg and I (1947)
The Fabulous Dorseys (1947)
The Farmer’s Daughter (1947)
Fiesta (1947)
Forever Amber (1947)
The Foxes of Harrow (1947)
The Fugitive (1947)
Fun and Fancy Free (1947)
Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
Golden Earrings (1947)
Good News (1947)
Great Expectations (1947)
Green Dolphin Street (1947)
The Hucksters (1947)
It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947)
Ivan the Terrible: Part 1 (1947)
Ivan the Terrible: Part 2 (1947)
Kiss of Death (1947)
Life with Father (1947)
Magic Town (1947)
Merton of the Movies (1947)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
Mother Wore Tights (1947)
Mourning Becomes Electra (1947)
My Favorite Brunette (1947)
My Wild Irish Rose (1947)
New Orleans (1947)
Nicholas Nickleby (1947)
Nightmare Alley (1947)
Odd Man Out (1947)
Out of the Past (1947)
The Paradine Case (1947)
The Perils of Pauline (1947)
Possessed (1947)
Railroaded (1947)
Ride the Pink Horse (1947)
Riffraff (1947)
Road to Rio (1947)
The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947)
The Sea of Grass (1947)
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947)
Shoe-Shine (1947)
Sinbad the Sailor (1947)
Smash Up: The Story of a Woman (1947)
Song of the South (1947)
Song of the Thin Man (1947)
That Hagen Girl (1947)
The Time, the Place, and the Girl (1947)
T-Men (1947)
The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947)
Unconquered (1947)
The Web (1947)
The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap (1947)

(May - July 2006) I don't even think they were made in 1947 but, I watched the Ivan the Terrible movies this year. I think one of them was released in '47 and the other was released in the '50s, but I was like whatev and watched them together. They are incredible! They're Russian and crazy lol Visual feasts haha I also enjoyed Gentleman's Agreement, The Bishop's Wife, and Miracle on 34th Street. The latter two being perfect movies for Christmas-time.

Top Ten -- The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, The Bishop's Wife, Crossfire, Dark Passage, Gentleman's Agreement, Great Expectations, Ivan the Terrible: Part I, Ivan the Terrible: Part II, Miracle on 34th Street, Shoe-Shine

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

1946

Anna and the King of Siam (1946)
The Beast with Five Fingers (1946)
Beauty and the Beast (1946)
Bedlam (1946)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
The Big Sleep (1946)
Blithe Spirit (1946)
The Blue Dahlia (1946)
Blue Skies (1946)
Brief Encounter (1946)
Caesar and Cleopatra (1946)
Canyon Passage (1946)
Centennial Summer (1946)
The Chase (1946)
Children of Paradise (1946)
Cloak and Dagger (1946)
Cluny Brown (1946)
The Dark Corner (1946)
The Dark Mirror (1946)
Dead of Night (1946)
Deception (1946)
The Dolly Sisters (1946)
Dragonwyck (1946)
Duel in the Sun (1946)
Gilda (1946)
The Green Years (1946)
The Harvey Girls (1946)
Henry V (1946)
House of Horrors (1946)
Humoresque (1946)
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
The Jolson Story (1946)
The Killers (1946)
Kitty (1946)
Lady in the Lake (1946)
Little Giant (1946)
The Time of Their Lives (1946)
Love Laughs at Andy Hardy (1946)
Make Mine Music (1946)
My Darling Clementine (1946)
My Pal Trigger (1946)
Night and Day (1946)
A Night in Casablanca (1946)
Notorious (1946)
Open City (1946)
O.S.S. (1946)
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
The Razor’s Edge (1946)
Road to Utopia (1946)
Saratoga Trunk (1946)
Sentimental Journey (1946)
The Seventh Veil (1946)
She-Wolf of London (1946)
Sister Kenny (1946)
The Spiral Staircase (1946)
Stairway to Heaven (1946)
A Stolen Life (1946)
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)
The Stranger (1946)
Terror by Night (1946)
13 Rue Madeleine (1946)
Three Strangers (1946)
Till the End of Time (1946)
To Each His Own (1946)
Tomorrow is Forever (1946)
Two Years before the Mast (1946)
Vacation from Marriage (1946)
Without Reservations (1946)
The Yearling (1946)
Ziegfeld Follies (1946)

(September 2005 - May 2006) Lots of good stuff here. I'd recommend watching The Best Years of Our Lives, The Big Sleep, and Notorious. It's a Wonderful Life is one of my favorite movies EVER and is probably the only movie I can think of that can make me cry my eyes out every time. Watch that immediately. The real treasure of this year is Children of Paradise. It's a French movie about the theatre and various relationships in and around it. I was amazed by this movie and it's also one of my all-time faves.

Top Ten -- The Best Years of Our Lives, The Big Sleep, Brief Encounter, Children of Paradise, It's a Wonderful Life, My Darling Clementine, Notorious, Open City, The Spiral Staircase, The Time of Their Lives

Monday, September 29, 2008

1945

Abbott and Costello in Hollywood (1945)
Adventure (1945)
Anchors Aweigh (1945)
And Then There Were None (1945)
Back to Bataan (1945)
The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945)
Blood on the Sun (1945)
The Body Snatcher (1945)
Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
The Clock (1945)
The Corn is Green (1945)
Dillinger (1945)
Here Come the Co-Eds (1945)
The Naughty Nineties (1945)
The Horn Blows at Midnight (1945)
House of Dracula (1945)
The House on 92nd Street (1945)
The Keys to the Kingdom (1945)
Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
The Lost Weekend (1945)
Love Letters (1945)
Mildred Pierce (1945)
Music for Millions (1945)
National Velvet (1945)
Objective, Burma (1945)
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)
Pride of the Marines (1945)
Salty O’Rourke (1945)
San Antonio (1945)
A Song to Remember (1945)
The Southerner (1945)
Spellbound (1945)
State Fair (1945)
The Story of G.I. Joe (1945)
They Were Expendable (1945)
The Three Caballeros (1945)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)
The Valley of Decision (1945)
A Walk in the Sun (1945)
Weekend at the Waldorf (1945)
Without Love (1945)
Scarlet Street (1945)
The Woman in the Window (1945)
Wonder Man (1945)
Yolanda and the Thief (1945)

(June - September 2005) An ok mix. I think The Lost Weekend is my pick for the best of these. I also really enjoyed Leave Her to Heaven, Mildred Pierce The Picture of Dorian Gray, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I remember watching all of these movies during the summer before I moved to State College. Good times.

Top Ten -- And Then There Were None, Leave Her to Heaven, The Lost Weekend, Mildred Pierce, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Spellbound, State Fair, The Three Caballeros, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A Walk in the Sun

Sunday, September 28, 2008

1944

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944)
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
The Canterville Ghost (1944)
Casanova Brown (1944)
The Climax (1944)
Cover Girl (1944)
Double Indemnity (1944)
Dragon Seed (1944)
The Fighting Seabees (1944)
The Fighting Sullivans (1944)
Gaslight (1944)
Going My Way (1944)
A Guy Named Joe (1944)
Hail the Conquering Hero (1944)
Hollywood Canteen (1944)
House of Frankenstein (1944)
In Society (1944)
The Invisible Man’s Revenge (1944)
It Happened Tomorrow (1944)
Jane Eyre (1944)
Kismet (1944)
Laura (1944)
Lifeboat (1944)
Lost in a Harem (1944)
The Mask of Dimitrios (1944)
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1944)
The Mummy’s Ghost (1944)
The Mummy’s Curse (1944)
Mr. Skeffington (1944)
Mrs. Parkington (1944)
Murder, My Sweet (1944)
None but the Lonely Heart (1944)
None Shall Escape (1944)
Passage to Marseille (1944)
Phantom Lady (1944)
The Seventh Cross (1944)
Since You Went Away (1944)
Step Lively (1944)
The Thin Man Goes Home (1944)
Thirty Seconds over Tokyo (1944)
To Have and Have Not (1944)
Two Girls and a Sailor (1944)
The Uninvited (1944)
Weird Woman (1944)
The Whistler (1944)
The White Cliffs of Dover (1944)
Wilson (1944)
Wing and a Prayer (1944)

Also Seen - Cry of the Werewolf (1944), The Lodger (1944) B-

(March - June 2005) I wish I could decorate Meet Me in St. Louis with hearts. It's such a great movie! Other faves are Going My Way, Double Indemnity, Laura, Lifeboat, and To Have and Have Not. By the mid-forties, film noir became very popular A good number of them came out this year.

Top Ten -- Arsenic and Old Lace, Cover Girl, Double Indemnity, Going My Way, Laura, Lifeboat, Meet Me in St. Louis, The Seventh Cross, Since You Went Away, To Have and Have Not

Saturday, September 27, 2008

1943

Action in the North Atlantic (1943)
Air Force (1943)
Bataan (1943)
Cabin in the Sky (1943)
Captive Wild Woman (1943)
DuBarry Was a Lady (1943)
Casablanca (1943)
Destination Tokyo (1943)
For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943)
Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (1943)
Guadalcanal Diary (1943)
Heaven Can Wait (1943)
Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
The Human Comedy (1943)
In Which We Serve (1943)
It Ain’t Hay (1943)
Hit the Ice (1943)
I Walked with a Zombie (1943)
Lassie Come Home (1943)
Madame Curie (1943)
The Mad Ghoul (1943)
The More the Merrier (1943)
The Outlaw (1943)
The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
The Phantom of the Opera (1943)
Princess O’Rourke (1943)
Sahara (1943)
Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
The Song of Bernadette (1943)
Son of Dracula (1943)
So Proudly We Hail (1943)
Stormy Weather (1943)
Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)
They Got Me Covered (1943)
This is the Army (1943)
Watch on the Rhine (1943)

(December 2004 - March 2005) Casablanca is perfect and needs to be seen at least once by everyone. For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Ox-Bow Incident are also great.

Also Seen - The Constant Nymph (1943), The North Star (1943)

Top Ten -- Cabin in the Sky, Casablanca, Destination Tokyo, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Lassie Come Home, The Outlaw, The Ox-Bow Incident, The Phantom of the Opera, Shadow of a Doubt, The Song of Bernadette

Friday, September 26, 2008

1942

Across the Pacific (1942)
All Through the Night (1942)
Andy Hardy’s Double Life (1942)
Arabian Nights (1942)
Bambi (1942)
The Black Swan (1942)
Cat People (1942)
For Me and My Gal (1942)
49th Parallel (1942)
Gentleman Jim (1942)
The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)
The Glass Key (1942)
Holday Inn (1942)
I Married a Witch (1942)
In This Our Life (1942)
Invisible Agent (1942)
Johnny Eager (1942)
The Jungle Book (1942)
Woman of the Year (1942)
Keeper of the Flame (1942)
Kings Row (1942)
Larceny Inc. (1942)
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
The Major and the Minor (1942)
Mrs. Miniver (1942)
The Mummy’s Tomb (1942)
My Favorite Blonde (1942)
Night Monster (1942)
Now, Voyager (1942)
Orchestra Wives (1942)
The Palm Beach Story (1942)
Ride ‘Em Cowboy (1942)
Rio Rita (1942)
Pardon My Sarong (1942)
Who Done It? (1942)
The Pied Piper (1942)
The Pride of the Yankees (1942)
Wake Island (1942)
Random Harvest (1942)
Reap the Wild Wind (1942)
Road to Morocco (1942)
Roxie Hart (1942)
Saboteur (1942)
The Talk of the Town (1942)
This Gun for Hire (1942)
To Be or Not to Be (1942)
Tortilla Flat (1942)
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

(August - December 2004) Yankee Doodle Dandy is my favorite of the year, followed closely by Mrs. Miniver. Both were inspired greatly by the patriotism that was sweeping the nation in 1942. I also enjoyed The Pride of the Yankees, Saboteur, and To Be or Not to Be.

Also Seen -- Tennessee Johnson (1942)

Top Ten -- Bambi, 49th Parallel, Johnny Eager, Mrs. Miniver, Now, Voyager, The Pride of the Yankees, Saboteur, To Be or Not to Be, Who Done It?, Yankee Doodle Dandy